Words
Oliver Apel
Think of running as a state of grace: not the means to anything but the alpha and omega, an end in itself.
Cultivation of land, of mind. Common ground, energy.
We flew to the city of Girona to inaugurate and celebrate the launch of our newest silhouette, the 002. Over the last decade or so, the city has become a destination dedicated to the shared language of movement, a mecca for cyclists from all around the world. Situated in northern Catalonia, Girona has been in a state of cultural flux and evolution for centuries, inhabited by Iberians, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors, undergoing 25 sieges and seven captures. But what emanates from this historical palimpsest for many now is a terrain—both physical and energetic—fertile for shared movement.
Christian Meier and a small crew associated with his Overland Running Provisions and Chance Running have been tilling this endurance space in Girona, cultivating a scene specifically for trail runners. In the short span of six months, they have managed to grow a deep community of trail runners whose energy and passion has been felt internationally.
When it came to deciding where to debut the 002, this community was at the forefront of our minds. With Christian’s help, we organized a race to put the shoes on the local community as they raced to the top of Castle Sant Miquel, a local landmark. This race, our very first of this kind, combines everything we stand for—putting our product on the kind of terrain it was designed for and being present with what we believe is one of the strongest athlete communities in the world.
While we have always prioritized product innovation, we wouldn’t exist without the trail running community it is in service of. The 001 was inspired by the runners in the Montreal area, running from city to summits. The runners in Girona are the same, running from the city to the wide network of trails that encroach on it.
Traveling to Spain to host this event was a gesture that emphasizes a beautiful aspect of running: its rare ability to create space and time with people, fully engaged and in complete comprehension, without ever needing to speak words. Similarly, seeing how much our shoe has transcended language and international borders inspires us to keep pushing our own boundaries while remaining in communication with a worldwide trail running culture. The 002 was designed in direct response to runners who wanted something for their super technical stomping grounds, where they needed increased speed, response, agility and ground feel, creating a more holistic toolkit system to complement the 001.
Girona was just the first stop on our mission to share this with other communities around the world who similarly think of running as a state of grace.
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See more about the race here.
Watch the video recap here.
Aleix Ferrer takes us on tourist run.
Photography by Moe Lauchert